Whether it was an attempted robbery or a drug deal gone wrong, one man at least faces weapons charges following an incident in Avalon on Jan. 25.

Police were called to Orchard and Cleveland avenues for a fight between two males that involved a gun. They arrived to find one man running down Alley C, while the other claimed to have been the victim of an attempted armed robbery.

The use of a stolen gift card led area police to a Bellevue man, and the discovery of a lot more stolen goods.

The case began on Dec. 27, when two Ben Avon residents reported thefts from their vehicles. One owner reported that a gun had been stolen, along with several gift cards. Ohio Township Police were able to obtain video of the man who used the card at Giant Eagle, and worked with Avalon and Bellevue police to identify that man as Keith Dengler, 23, of Bellevue.

Ben Avon is considering offering a tax abatement to anyone who would like to buy certain property on Park Avenue, with the stipulation that the existing structures would be torn down and that any rebuilding would be done according to the borough's code.

The property currently consists of five buildings containing 19 units. Nearly five years ago, Jeff Garbinski bought it with the idea of renovating the property into 19 affordable housing units. However, little has been done since that time and various problems have ensued.

Ohio Township Police have identified the man who robbed an Emsworth resident on Jan. 10 as the same man arrested Thursday morning for the rapes of two women in Ross Township.

Ohio Township Police Chief Beaver Micklos said that his officers planned to file charges Thursday against Arthur Henderson, 38, of Ross, for the Jan. 10 robbery of Paul Leung in the parking lot of the House of Lee restaurant in Emsworth. Leung was seriously injured and robbed of $4,000 - $5,000 after returning to his residence above the restaurant after gambling at the North Side casino.

A resident of Dawson Avenue reported to police on Jan. 8 that jewelry had been stolen from her home while work was being done there during the week.

A GPS unit was reported stolen from a vehile parked in the 100 block of Lincoln Avenue on Jan. 8.

A Dakota Avenue resident also reported Jan. 8 that someone had broken into her parked car.

The windshield was smashed in a vehicle parked on dawson Avenue. the vandalism was reported Jan. 5.

On Jan. 6, the new owner of rental property on Grant Avenue reported that a red swastika had been painted on the basement wall.

A Pittsburgh man faces an extensive list of criminal charges after reportedly stealing 24 cents worth of gas from a Bellevue gas station and being pursued by police for about 500 feet.

David Marks, 52, of 25 Lanark St., Pittsburgh 15214, was caught after what police say was the latest in a series of gas station drive-offs.

For the second time in as many weeks, an attempt to oust Bellevue’s solicitor has failed.

A week after a motion to seek proposals from attorneys failed in a tie vote at the borough council’s reorganization meeting, a second motion made at the first regular council meeting on Tuesday met the same end.

Bellevue Police investigated a burglary at a South Balph Avenue residence on Dec. 21.

Several thefts from vehicles were reported to police. Thefts were reported from vehicles on Forest Avenue on Dec. 21, Highland Place on Dec. 27, Summit Avenue on Dec. 27, two vehicles on Shade Avenue on Dec. 29, and another on North Jackson Avenue on Dec. 29.

Packages delivered by the post office were reported stolen from the front porch of a residence in the 400 block of Teece Avenue on Dec. 21.

Robert Kitchen, 44, of Bellevue, was charged with robbery on Dec. 21.

Three newly-elected members of Ben Avon Council were sworn in by Mayor Bob Jones Monday evening before council voted to return Lloyd Corder to the president’s chair and committee appointments were announced.

Pictured here from left are Corder, newly-elected council members Earl Bohn, Suzanne Weiss and Michael Bett, and Jones.

Corder was re-elected president of council in a unanimous vote, as was Weiss as vice president.

Corder was prepared to make committee assignments for the coming year, and also named council members to handle special projects.

A clerk at the BP gas station on Route 65 in Avalon was held at knifepoint during a robbery on Dec. 23.

Police say the man -- described as a black male with a thin build -- demanded money from the cash register, then threw a dollar on the counter -- apparently in payment for a candy bar -- before running out of the station and south on Route 65.

Although there were any number of questions about who and when and how, Bellevue Council voted Tuesday to award a contract for a streetscape design to Civil and Environmental Consultants.

The firm’s bid was some $3,000 higher than the next competitive bidder’s, but members of the Downtown Business District Advisory Committee re-commended CEC because, according to council president Kathy Coder, its proposal was customized to relate to Bellevue, and the company had experience with similar streetscape projects.

Emsworth now has a resolution setting a pay scale for public works employees, but that doesn’t mean either of the borough’s two part-time DPW workers will be getting a raise right away.

The resolution adopted by council at its meeting Wednesday sets a pay range for the DPW, from $15 to $24 per hour. It also allows the employees to be reimbursed by the borough for up to $200 per month for health insurance they purchase themselves, and up to $300 per year for clothing.